Does Lions coach Dan Campbell still have “controlled fury” from the last controversial Cowboys game? You betcha.
The Detroit Lions face the Dallas Cowboys this week, and it’s nearly impossible to talk about this game from Detroit’s point of view without talking about last year’s matchup between the two teams. The game ended after Detroit attempted to go for a two-point conversion and the win, only to have their conversion called back due to an official mixing up which player reported as eligible.
After that game, coach Dan Campbell was as angry as we’ve ever seen him, and that frustration still boiled over to his press conference a few days later.
“I’ve got controlled fury and I’m ready to go,” Campbell said the following Monday. “I am absolutely ready to go. I don’t go the other way, so. And the team won’t either. We’re on a mission and we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in everything. We had plays to make, we didn’t make them. And it’s a tight game, a good opponent, playoff-type atmosphere and you’ve got to make that one extra play that we didn’t and so we will use this as fuel. I’ve got pure octane right now.”
This week, as the team prepares to face the Cowboys again in a key NFC matchup, Campbell admitted that “controlled fury” is still there, and he plans on using it as motivation this week.
“That never really leaves, but, yeah, I’m excited,” Campbell said. “I’m excited for this one. And really, look, it’s the next one in front of us and it’s a conference opponent and they’ve had our number for a while. And I grew up down there, so I have a lot of people there. I think it’ll be a special game.”
One of Campbell’s superpowers is his ability to motivate, so it should come as no surprise he’s willing to tap into residual frustration from that game to get the best out of his team this week. He’s always looking for extra ways he can stir up some extra inspiration.
“You can always find something. To me, you always find a nugget, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” Campbell said. “There are reasons behind why you want to win them, and you find what those are and they’re different every week.”
It’s easy to find motivating factors for a game. What may be difficult, though, is regulating those emotions so they don’t boil over. Finding that balance between energy and excitement, without losing your cool. In Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks, the Lions committed 12 penalties for 101 yards, many of them of the undisciplined variety. The week before that, they had nine penalties for 79 yards. That needs to be better.
“You’ve got to play a clean game, you’ve got to keep your head about you, we’ve got to be disciplined,” Campbell said. “We’ve got to play fundamental football, we’ve got to have a good gameplan, we’ve got to execute it, take care of the football, we need to get some takeaways, it’s the same song and dance it always is. So, look, our guys will be ready because it’s the next one.”
Sunday’s game goes well beyond a personal vendetta from 10 months ago. It’s an NFC battle between two playoff hopefuls, it’s FOX’s “Game of the Week,” and it’s a homecoming of sorts for Campbell, a Texas native.
“(Dallas) has always kind of had this special aura about it,” Campbell said. “But that being said, once you get in and you start playing and then you’re playing against them and then you’re coaching against them, that goes away pretty quick because now you’ve got to find a way to win.”
